Beloved Canberra surgeon

One of Canberra's best-loved surgeons, John Buckingham, has died of cancer, aged 63.

Renowned throughout Australia for his pioneering work in breast cancer surgery and diagnosis, Dr Buckingham was himself diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in early January.

He was best known in Canberra for his meticulous follow-up care of patients – an aspect of his practice that he said was intimately connected to his Catholic faith.

Dr Buckingham died at home surrounded by family.

He was named the 2010 ACT Senior Australian of the Year for his groundbreaking work in diagnosing lymph node involvement with breast cancer diagnosis. He was also one of the first to demonstrate the value of CT scanning in the early diagnosis of appendicitis and helped establish Breast Screen ACT.